Worlds of Fun

    You know those daily deal sites?  Um, yea I am signed up for about 12 of them {that may be a conservative estimate}.  What can I say, I love a good deal.  So when a deal came across for a buy one get one free admission to Worlds of Fun {a local amusement park}, I had to snatch it up.  Mike and I went back and forth on whether we wanted to take the kids, and in the end opted for a family day at the amusement park.  From the moment we got there Noah was asking when we were going togo to Planet Snoopy.  We stopped for a carousel ride and then he and I left Mike and Mikayla at a roller coaster.  Noah and I made our way towards Planet Snoopy with minor detours for a train ride and a dog show.  We met back up with Mike and Mikayla at Planet Snoopy {which I was relieved, because I don't think I could have survived anymore spinny kiddie rides}.  I was surprised that there was no wait for any of the kids' rides.  We all had a lot of fun, and the kids were exhausted, but sad to leave.

I got a great tip to take a photo of your kids before you head out for a day trip. 
That way you know exactly how they look and can forward on the photo if anything should happen.

Think he was trying to pose like Mikayla.

They had a great time but don't show it here.  It was 95 and the sun was right in their face.

Noah in the red baron.

He couldn't wait to give Snoopy a hug.

More of the gang.

These rides were really built for kids, but if they were under 42" an adult had to ride.
 Let's just say it was comfy cozy.

Slow Mo...

Just another trick Mikayla has discovered she can do, a handstand kickover {probably not it's technical name, but it is what it is}.

First in...

Slow

Mo.

And now for it in real time.

Summer

     Summer is in full swing here and I am loving it.  We have traded bedtime routines for late evening walks, catching fireflies, and double features at the Theatre in the Park.  The last ten day heat wave was counteracted by afternoons spent at the pool or the movie theater.  We bought passes for the pool this year and it has been really nice to be able to pack up the kids on a whim and go to the pool for a few hours.  The kids have really enjoyed it too.  Mikayla figured out that she is strong enough to go off the diving boards.  I was a little nervous the first time, but she did great.  Now she is perfecting her straddle and tuck jumps, and conquering the mild fear that another girl put in her about going off the high dive {she did it 3 times, but it only took seeing the girl come down 1 time to make her afraid}.  Noah keeps asking if he can go off of them, but we keep assuring him that he needs to get a little stronger at swimming before we will even think about him going on the diving board.  He is also a little sad because he is just shy of being tall enough to go down the water slides.  Maybe by the end of the summer he will be tall enough.  Mikayla is still going to karate and seems to really be enjoying it.  We decided that as much as we would like for Noah to do karate too, he is just not quite ready for it.  With only a five weeks {really!?!} left before the kids {and Mike} go back to school, we will have to see what else we can cram into the summer, maybe a dinosaur exhibit or roller coaster rides?

This is one of my favorite pictures.  This is from a family
gathering in June.  The guy with the beard is a family friend and had Mikayla
and Noah cracking up the whole night.

Did I mention we made a quick trip to Minnesota?
Noah and his cousins swimming.

Maybe a little too much fun with the smoke bombs???
 This was from Fourth of July at my aunt's.

Mikayla's hair from Theatre in the Park {with her go-to pose.}

Two silly kids.

It is so difficult to get a non-silly photo of him.

 

Now I know where Noah gets the silly faces in photos from.

Mikayla going off the high dive.  Not the best of quality, but at least we have something.

  {please excuse the guy exiting the pool, I did not choose the best of places to stand.}

And Now For Something I Shouldn't Share

     I try to be an optimist.  When something bad happens, I can usually turn it around and say at least it wasn't this.  Or it could have been worse.  I remember as a teenager being told that I was always smiling.  It wasn't like I was trying, it just came natural.  But right now I am in a tough spot trying to see the good in a bad situation.  I debated on whether I wanted to write about this or not, but it is a part of our story and that is what I want the blog to continue to be.  My dad is a very independent, private person.  But he is sick, and for some reason he thinks he is protecting us by not sharing the details.  Thankfully my mom sees the importance of us kids knowing the extent of his condition and continues to divulge information as she gets it.  Currently my dad is being transferred to the University of Miami Hospital {from one in Fort Pierce}.  But I guess I should back up to explain how we got to this point.  A few years ago my dad was told he was pre-diabetic.  And if he lost a little bit of weight, ate right, and quit drinking beer he would most likely not develop diabetes.  For the most part he was making life changes.  But the drinking beer part was really hard for him.  He was not an alcoholic in the since that he would get drink to the point of getting drunk, but it was definitely an addiction for him.  Like any addiction it was hard to kick.  He would do fine for a while, but then would start back by having a few here and there.  This didn't really become an issue until they told him that he had a fatty liver, which eventually progressed into liver disease.  After a few hospital stays the doctors decided that the best and most immediate course of action for him would be to put a stint in his liver to help it function.  So he had that procedure done and we thought he would be okay for a while.  But shortly after he had the stint put in he kept on getting fevers and chills that he just couldn't shake.  In the midst of all of this he was trying to find a new primary doctor {the other one was not with the program}.  Finally he got his new doctor who immediately ran some blood tests and informed my dad that he need to get to the hospital right away.  After two days in the hospital they finally told my dad that he had a staph infection.  He started a course of IV antibiotics twice a day and was told he would need them for the next four weeks.  When he completed the round of IV antibiotics he was put on a pill form.  He seemed to be getting better.  Some of his energy had come back and he was able to get back into a routine again.  But then the fevers came back.  So they went back to the doctor who again instructed him to go to the hospital.  Which brings us to the current date.  The infectious disease doctor {just one of about five who see him regularly} thinks that he cannot shake the staph infection because he contracted it when the stint was put in.  On top of that the pill antibiotic they had put my dad on was affecting his kidneys.  In the hospital they first wanted to take care of the kidneys before worrying about the infection again.  Now his kidneys seem to be functioning, but they want to transfer him to the University of Miami Hospital to take a closer look at the stint and the possibility of removing it {a procedure they can't do at the currrent hospital}.  Needless to say that this all has me worried.  And frustrated.  I wish I could be there for my mom, to at least be more of a support system, but that is not possible right now.  We are hoping that if my dad needs a long term transfer {there is a possibility of a liver transplant} that they will be able to do it somewhere closer to us.  But for now I am a phone call away for my mom, and spend the days waiting to hear what bit of news the doctors now have to tell us. And there you have it, way more info. about my dad's illness than you wanted to know.  But you know what, it is so therapeutic just to write it out {he will just have to deal with it out on the internet}.